


Satin White, Rubies Red

by royalchttphn



Series: Inktober 2019 Prompts - Reddie [7]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, But Only a Little Bit - Freeform, But only a tiny amount, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Fluffy, Internalized Homophobia, Love at First Sight, M/M, Prince Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Subject Eddie Kaspbrak, and that someone is Richie, but its more like Eddie finally finds comfort in someone, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 23:43:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20938742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/royalchttphn/pseuds/royalchttphn
Summary: The invitation came in a shimmery white envelope sealed shut with an intricately designed glob of wax.Inktober 2019 Day 7: Enchanted





	Satin White, Rubies Red

**Author's Note:**

> I write this in a couple of hours, high on the caffeine bestowed upon me by two cold brews. Enjoy.

“Edward, this night is going to be a very important one, and it is imperative that you be on your best behavior. It’s not every day that _they_,” Sonia Kaspbrak sniffed, “invite people of _our_ social status to go to a royal ball.”

Eddie suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. It had been very clear since Eddie was young that his mother had a certain disdain towards the royal family - as if their status was a personal offense. It was also clear that she wanted more than anything to be one of them. Once when she got a little wine-drunk, she let it slip that she wished Eddie had been born a girl.

“If you were a girl,” she had drawled, her wine glass clutched almost daintily in her pudgy pink hands, “then maybe we could have married into royalty.”

Eddie hadn’t known how to react other than to get up and leave the house. He let the door slam shut behind him, creaking on its old hinges, and ran and ran and ran until he couldn’t feel his feet or his lungs or much of anything. He didn’t quite care where he ended up, more so just needing to be as far from his mother as he could possibly get.

“We,” she had said, as if Eddie’s marriage should be used as a ploy for status instead of something done by Eddie, _for_ Eddie, for love. Eddie supposed that’s what she was hoping to do, boy or not. It’s not as if the only young royal in the world was Prince Richard.

But then again, Eddie knew he wouldn’t mind marrying Prince Richard. He wouldn’t mind it at all, would mind it much less than being married off to some random princess from a neighboring kingdom. At least then he’d have the potential to fall in love with Prince Richard.

Not that he’d ever tell his mother that. Not that he’d ever tell _anyone_ that. Eddie’s mother had told him, with an amount of satisfaction that made fear coil hot and bright in Eddie’s gut, all about what happened to boys who were found in bed with other boys.

When he returned that night, his mother was dead asleep in her chair, the wine glass in shattered fragments on the kitchen floor. Eddie swept it up, pressed an obligatory kiss against his mother’s cheek, and fell into his own bed, trying desperately to push fantasies of marrying a boy - of marrying Prince Richard - out of his mind.

“Are you listening to me, Edward?”

Eddie was pulled from his thoughts by his mother’s shrill voice, and nodded numbly.

“Yes, ma. I’ll be good. I won’t mess this up for,” he hesitated, “us.”

“Good. You’re a good boy, Eddie - handsome and smart. There’s no reason not to come back without some connections. A girl, maybe. And not some riffraff girl,” Sonia sniffed again, as if she and Eddie weren’t also what she considered riffraff. “I mean a respectable young woman.”

Eddie nodded again. “Yes, ma.”

“I love you, Edward, darling.” She put a hand on his head gingerly so as not to mess up his hair. “Now go put on your suit. And I put your mask on your bed.”

Eddie stood and walked carefully into the hallway, out of his mother’s line of view; then he raced to his bedroom and locked the door behind him. He fell against it, eyes shut, pulling in lungfuls of air. He felt like he couldn’t breathe around his mother, all of her talk about royalty and status and _girls_ suffocating, and being alone was a welcome reprieve.

The mask on his bed, once he opened his eyes to look at it, was just as gaudy as he thought it would be. It was big enough to hide his whole face, every inch covered in peacock feathers, tacky and practically screaming that the wearer was a commoner desperate to fit in with the rich. In place of a string to keep the mask fastened to his face, as would be much more convenient, a thin wooden stick protruded downwards from the mask’s left side.

Eddie hated it fiercely and was relieved only by his foresight to purchase his own mask - without his mother’s knowledge or approval, of course, but at this point he would rather face his mother’s upturned nose than be seen anywhere in public with the atrocity she had purchased.

The thought of his mother waiting downstairs spurred him into action; he pushed himself off of the door and in the direction of his closet where, set carefully aside from his regular clothes, hung a pristine white suit.

“Purity,” his mother had purred, fingers grazing the fabric when Eddie had pointed it out. Eddie just liked the way the white looked against his tan, how the soft fabric felt against his skin.

Eddie detached the suit carefully from its hanger and pressed the length of the outfit against his front, making quick work of changing into the suit. He glanced in the mirror on the wall, intending the inspection to be brief, but felt his breath catch when he caught sight of his reflection. The white did look stunning on him, and his chest was sleek where it peeked out of the V his suit jacket made. Even if tonight went horribly, as Eddie had a sneaking suspicion that it might, at least he would look nice. Presentable.

_Pretty_, his subconscious supplied, and he relished in the way the word made him feel for pressing it carefully down into the recesses of his brain.

The mask Eddie had bought went with his suit to a T, he noticed with satisfaction as he fastened the ribbon behind his head. It was, like the suit, white silk. Silver thread embossed the area around the eyes in delicate designs. His hair was combed back, smooth to the touch, and Eddie felt the reckless urge to mess it up, make it fluffy - but he knew his mother would throw a fit. She was already bound to be upset by Eddie’s rejection of the mask she had picked for him (which he was beginning to feel guilty about; but this was his only night in the presence of royalty and he was dead set on _not_ looking like an utter fool), so he wasn’t going to push it further.

Eddie took a final glance in the mirror and, satisfied with his appearance, went to face his mother and her inevitable judgement.

*****

The carriage ride to the palace was a silent one. The man maneuvering the carriage made no attempt at conversation and Eddie wondered if he simply didn’t find Eddie interesting or important enough to talk to or if his job was just to keep quiet and drive his clients around.

Eddie thought it was surreal that he was even considered a client. Eddie thought it was surreal that he was one of the raffle winners in the first place. Eddie thought everything about this experience was surreal, and for the first time since the letter arrived announcing he was to attend a royal ball - which made his mother shriek in satisfaction - excitement swept through his stomach.

The invitation came in a shimmery white envelope sealed shut with an intricately designed glob of wax. Eddie didn’t have a chance to examine the seal over his mother’s shoulder, however, because she had already ripped into the envelope (as if it were meant for her and not Eddie) to see whether Eddie had earned his, as his mother liked to say, “rightful place on the guest list.”

Eddie didn’t think he _had_ a rightful place at the event. He was one of thousands to have their names entered (in his case, to have his mother enter his name _for_ him). It was just pure chance his name got pulled, but he didn’t dare tell his mother that. As soon as she read the greeting word (_congratulations_), she had thrown her arms around Eddie and practically bust his eardrum speaking about fate and destiny and opportunity.

The carriage pulled nearer and nearer to the palace and Eddie felt his sudden burst of excitement fade, his brain replacing it with scary what-ifs and scenarios in which Eddie screwed up so monumentally that he was banished from the kingdom. Eddie watched as the iron gates opened in a grand sweep, allowing the carriage entrance onto the palace grounds. Despite all his apprehension, as Eddie passed from the common world to the world of the royals he felt, suddenly, that that night was going to change his life completely. Then, as abruptly as that feeling came, it was replaced with overwhelming nerves.

Finally the carriage came to a stop. Eddie sat for a moment, fingers grasping the door handle, staring out at the palace. Only when his chauffeur politely cleared his throat did Eddie step out into the evening air.

Almost immediately a young man appeared at his arm - a servant, Eddie realized, and around his age, too - and politely informed that he was to show Eddie into the palace ballroom where most of the other guests had already begun mingling.

Though Eddie’s head did swivel every which way to try and take in every part of the palace he passed through, his mind was too muddled to really commit to memory any details other than “luxurious”. When the grand ballroom doors opened for him, revealing a heavy throng of young men and women in impeccable suits and lavishing gowns, holding thin glasses of sparkling champagne, Eddie felt immediately that he did not belong. He knew deep down that many of the guests were just like him - lucky winners of what was basically a charity contest - but it did nothing to quell the nerves climbing up his throat like bile.

“Champagne, sir?” A man in a neat black tuxedo offered, seeming to have taken the place of the young servant. Eddie plucked a glass from the tray, gave a tight-lipped smile, and as the man swiftly moved away, wondered if he should have given his thanks.

In one smooth motion, he raised the glass to his lips and poured the contents down his throat.

“Nervous?”

A sudden voice, low and smooth, came from his left. Eddie barely managed to suppress a frightened jump. He didn’t even choke on the champagne he was swallowing and he mentally congratulated himself before turning to face the offending young man.

The offending young man with a halo of black curls peeking out from behind his mask, decorated with rubies as red as his suit. He was smirking at Eddie with pink lips, and something about that smirk said “challenge me.”

“Not in the slightest,” Eddie replied coolly, and watched as the young man’s smirk widened into a smile.

“So you just gulp down glasses of champagne for fun?”

“_One_ glass, and yes. Something about this night should be fun, don’t you think?”

The young man barked out a laugh and Eddie felt satisfaction prick in his chest. “I quite agree,” he said, and held out a hand for Eddie to shake. “May I inquire as to your name?”

“Only if you never use the word ‘inquire’ again. It’s too formal for someone who saw me down champagne like a shot.” Eddie took his hand - it was strong. Sure. “And it’s Edward, but nobody calls me that except for my mother. Just call me Eddie.”

“Sure thing, Eddie,” the young man said around an open smile. “You can call me,” he hesitated, “Chee.”

“...Chee?”

“Don’t make fun of a man’s name, Eds, my friend,” Chee chastised playfully. (Eddie didn’t even know chastising could _be_ playful, but he playfully chastised Chee right back.)

He clucked his tongue. “Don’t call me Eds. My name is _Eddie_.”

Chee laughed again and suddenly seemed to realize he was still holding Eddie’s hand in the space between them. He dropped it carefully and Eddie tried felt a twist of upset at the loss. He didn’t have the luxury of getting attached to some random boy at a masquerade ball he was only attending out of chance. His mother’s voice rang in his head, then: _Come back with a respectable young woman, she ordered him_.

As it was wont to do when away from his mother, Eddie’s mind countered with a wholly rebellious (and incredibly dangerous) thought: _What about a respectable young man?_

Eddie forced that thought (_desire_) down, and plastered a smile on his face when Chee snapped his fingers in front of Eddie’s face.

“Earth to Eddie,” he said, and Eddie swatted his hand away. Chee looked momentarily surprised, but he was still grinning, so Eddie didn’t look too much into it. “I asked where you were from?”

Eddie suddenly was very glad he was attending a masquerade ball so Chee couldn’t see that, behind the mask, a self-conscious blush rose to color his face. “Oh, I’m not,” he started, and then looked away from Chee’s curious gaze, “royalty or anything special like that. I come from a village on the outskirts of this kingdom, actually. It’s small, started as a trading post who knows how long ago. Derry.”

Chee didn’t say anything immediately, and Eddie was instantly afraid Chee - so obviously royalty in at least some respect - had become uninterested in him. (Why that bothered him so much, Eddie decided not to dwell on.) As he listened to the hum of other peoples’ small talk, he felt something creep up his spine - something that felt like “I don’t belong here” and “this was a mistake” and “get out, get out, _get out_”.

“You’re ashamed,” Chee said suddenly, pinpointing the exact emotion Eddie was roiling with. Eddie was surprised enough that he looked up at Chee from where his eyes had previously been flitting around the ballroom.

“Not usually,” he admitted, and then wondered why he felt comfortable enough to admit that to a total stranger. - never mind the fact that Chee seemed to have read his mind mere moments ago. “I’m just not used to being around people more important than me.”

“Why do you speak of yourself like that?” Chee asked. “‘Not anything special’, ‘not important.’” He was genuinely interested, and Eddie felt his interest so palpably that he felt himself shrugging and telling the truth.

“Because I’m from a small village that no one has heard of and here I am, a charity case at a palace ball. Because I’m here under orders from my mom to, instead of have a good time, make connections and woo a girl - which I’m not too keen on doing, by the way.”

Chee cocked his head at that, which Eddie somehow knew meant ‘explain’ (how did he know that?), but he just shook his head, meaning to continue on - and then he realized what he had just practically admitted. He froze.

And then he unfroze, backtracking in a panic. “Not that I don’t-- I mean-- not that I--”

“Eddie,” Chee shook his head, and with eyes so understanding Eddie could only take it to mean _me too_, he whispered, “It’s okay.”

He meant to say, “What’s okay?” - to feign like he had no earthly idea what Chee could be talking about. Instead, compelled by reasons he didn’t quite understand, he voiced, “You too?”

Chee smiled pointedly at him and, instead of answering the question, stepped into Eddie’s space and breathed in his ear, “You wanna find some place more quiet?”

In leaning closer, Eddie was able to detect the expensive smelling cologne Chee was wearing. The scent brought on an ease in Eddie that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Everything about Chee seemed to do that. It was like Chee just got him, and they had only known each other for a solid hour, _if that_, and Eddie knew he was being incredibly rash in getting attached to Chee this quickly, but it was like he was on the back of a runaway horse - and Eddie found that he didn’t care. He wanted to get to know Chee, to befriend him or maybe something more. His mother would never have to know, he reasoned, and Eddie wanted this, consequences be utterly and truly damned.

“Where did you have in mind?” He breathed back.

Chee took his hand again and jerked his head behind him.

_Follow me_, it said. _Trust me_.

Against all better judgement, Eddie did both.

*****

Chee lead Eddie by his hands through the twists and turns of the castle, and Eddie was too giddy with the fact that Chee was still holding his hand to wonder how the other man knew where he was going. He and Chee whispered back and forth as they ran through hall after hall, corridor after corridor, up flights of winding stairs and past grand portraits hidden in the shadows.

Finally, Chee pushed open a door and tugged Eddie onto a balcony blanketed in silvery moonlight. Only when Eddie looked over the railing, seeing lush gardens and ant-sized people did he realize where Chee had brought him.

“Do you bring every boy to the top of this tower?” Eddie asked, half-joking, half-flirting, and glanced out over the vast palace grounds.

Chee released his hand and leaned against his back against the railing. Eddie entertained the idea of mimicking Chee’s air of nonchalance to - what? - impress him? But something told Eddie (his gut, or maybe his heart) that there was no need to act. Chee was content with Eddie as he was.

Chee was like no one who Eddie had ever interacted with (not that his mother allowed him to interact with many people, but _still_), and they haven’t even had a meaningful conversation. Chee knew barely anything about Eddie and vice versa but they were able to read each other in some heightened way. Eddie was utterly enchanted by it.

_Chee_ was enchanting, and Eddie had some fleeting and absurd thought that he was in a fairytale.

“What’s on your mind, Eds?” Chee murmured barely audible. Eddie heard him anyway.

Eddie grinned up at the moon, her face shining against the blue-black night; smiling down on Eddie and Chee, alone on a balcony at the top of a tower.

“Just thinking about how I have no idea who you are,” Eddie answered truthfully, “and about how you have no idea who I am.”

“Then tell me. Who are you?”

*****

Eddie and Chee spent hours on that balcony, talking easily into the night. There was seldom a lull in the conversation, and when there were it was filled with flirtatious eye contact and coy brushes of the hand. Eddie laughed more than he ever remembers having laughed in his life and feels more confident than he ever had, too. Something about Chee just made him feel like he was normal - like what he felt was normal, and the oppressive thoughts that usually tainted his every move were nowhere to be found.

Eddie felt like he was flying.

“Tell me about your parents,” Chee asked hours into the conversation, stars twinkling fondly overhead.

Eddie snorted. “Parent. My dad died when I was young.”

“My condolences,” Chee said after a beat.

Eddie waved his hand. “Don’t worry about that. I barely remember him.”

“Okay,” Chee said. “Tell me about your mother.”

“You mean my prison guard?” Eddie huffed a wry laugh. “She’s… overbearing. Obsessed with status. She was ecstatic to have me win an invitation to this ball. She’s convinced I have a rightful place among the elite - wants me to marry into it.”

After a beat: “You don’t want to?” It sounded like Chee was working to keep his voice even.

“I… don’t really want to if it means…” Eddie hesitated. It was all or nothing, but he trusted Chee more than he rightfully should. “If it means marrying someone I don’t love. And I don’t know if I could ever love a, uh, woman like that.”

Without hesitation: “What about a man?”

Eddie looked over at Chee, the moonlight catching in his mess of curls. “Yea. I think I could.” Then he looked away, at the couples dancing to the music he could only faintly hear. “But it doesn’t matter, does it? People like me… we don’t get to marry for love.”

“People like us, Eds.”

Eddie had suspected it - no, he’d _known_ it in that weird way - all along, but having Chee say it out loud was different. It suddenly made it very real that there were people like him - boys that fell in love with other boys. Something calmed in Eddie and he wasn’t even aware it had been raging.

Eddie’s eyes met Chee’s dark ones and his breath caught in his throat.

“Can I see your face?” Chee’s voice was strangled with emotion and Eddie knew he wasn’t strong enough to deny him of his request. Not when Chee was looking at him with something that Eddie had never been the subject of.

He nodded once. “Of course,” he breathed, and lifted his hands to untie the ribbon keeping the mask on his face.

Before he could lose his nerve, he whipped the mask away and let it fall with a soft thud to the balcony floor. Instinctively, he shut his eyes.

“_Eddie_,” Chee breathed out, “You’re beautiful.” Then there was hands holding Eddie’s face, delicate, _reverent_, and Eddie’s eyes flew open of their own accord.

Chee’s mask, as red as the blood pounding through Eddie’s veins, was still on his face as Chee brought his mouth to Eddie’s, and then Eddie’s eyelids fell shut again.

When Chee pulled away, Eddie had to catch his breath. His hands had, at some point, clasped themselves over Chee’s, fingers intertwined. Eddie’s heart was singing, and then Chee pressed their foreheads together, and a smile split Eddie’s face wider than he imagined possible.

“Eddie,” Chee whispered after a while. His voice sounded different than it had all night and a prick of fear found its way into Eddie’s heart. “I have to tell you something.”

He moved back, dropped his hands from Eddie’s face and then removing them from Eddie’s hold altogether. His eyes darted around Eddie’s flushed face and Eddie knew without Chee having to speak that he was afraid.

“Anything,” he said, and then Chee moved to remove his own mask.

Then the bell chimed midnight. Chee froze. “Shit,” he said and unceremoniously grabbed Eddie’s hand. He stooped to sweep Eddie’s discarded mask from the floor and quickly pressed it to Eddie’s chest.

He tugged Eddie through the same corridors they had giggled through hours prior and didn’t drop his hand until they reached the ballroom door. Chee gazed at Eddie’s exposed face and Eddie at Chee’s mask.

“I’m sorry,” Chee said.

Eddie had no idea what he was apologizing for, but before he could ask Chee kissed him again. Horribly, it tasted like goodbye. Chee met his eyes, instructed him to go inside the ballroom, and darted down the hall into a separate door.

After a moment in which Eddie stood alone, he took a deep breath and reentered the crowd of young royals and young subjects - all of whom were facing a raised platform at the back of the room. Eddie hadn’t noticed it before, too overcome with nerves and then too preoccupied with Chee.

Eddie flinched as a fanfare of trumpets sounded throughout the ballroom and a man stepped forward to address the crowd. He cleared his throat, garnering the entire crowd’s attention.

“Presenting, his royal highness: Prince Richard!”

Eddie felt himself detach from the situation the moment he saw Chee, maskless, saunter onto the platform, and he felt like the most naive man in the entire kingdom. It was suddenly glaringly obvious that Chee was Prince Richard, what with the vague way he answered Eddie’s questions and the regal way he did… well, everything.

Chee - Prince Richard, Eddie corrected in his head - looked stunning, a silver crown encircling his head, his hand raised cordially to greet the crowd. He looked untouchable and like he deserved better than Eddie could ever give him and Eddie felt a sudden fierce shame burn through him. How could Eddie have been so utterly _stupid_? So utterly _naive_ as to get attached to the boy - the _prince_, at that.

Prince Richard was still passively looking over the crowd; then his eyes locked on Eddie’s, and Eddie hated the apologetic look in Prince Richard’s eyes. Even more he hated that knowledge that for some _stupid_ reason he was the only one who could see it.

Abruptly he turned his back on Prince Richard, shaky and angry and heartbroken, and fled the room. No one seemed to notice - why would they? He was just a commoner - as the doors shut behind him. They were all too enthralled by the presence of Prince Richard. Eddie couldn’t blame them. Prince Richard really was every glowing praise Eddie had ever heard.

Eddie felt hot tears prick behind his eyes but made no move to stop them. He deserved this, didn’t he? Boys like him didn’t get a happy ending. It was so careless of him to think otherwise - boys like him didn’t deserve to fall in love with a prince.

Because that’s what had happened, wasn’t it? Eddie had fallen in love. With a boy. With Chee. With Prince Richard. With someone who he couldn’t have.

Eddie had made it to the gates, had even raised his hands to get the attention of one of the guards, needing to get away from the palace, the party, the prince, when a strangled yell stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Eddie!” Prince Richard called across the courtyard. “Eddie, _please_!”

Eddie felt stuck in place. His brain screamed at him to continue running away. He was so close to being rid of this horrible night forever. He hadn’t been able to deny Prince Richard of anything thus far, though, so it made awful sense that he wouldn’t be able to now.

And then Prince Richard was standing behind him. Eddie could feel his presence, hyper-aware of the distance between them, too close but not close enough, and Eddie felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Prince Richard,” Eddie greeted respectfully, turning around to face him.

“Don’t do that,” Prince Richard said. Eddie felt the underlying beg to it as he repeated, “Don’t do that.”

“Do what? Call you by your title? The one you deemed unimportant to mention to me in the - what? - _hours_ we spent together?”

Eddie didn’t raise his voice, didn’t betray the anger he felt, but still Prince Richard flinched as if he felt it anyway.

“Eddie, I’m sorry.”

“Do pathological liars even feel remorse?”

“Pathological-- what? Eddie, I never lied to you.” Prince Richard took a step forward. Eddie stood his ground. “I’m still Chee. _Your_ Chee.”

“You were never really mine, though, were you?” Eddie countered. “A prince could never belong to his subject, could he?”

“But I _do_. Eddie, I _do_.” Prince Richard was pleading with him, on the verge of tears, and when a tear finally did spill over onto his cheek, Eddie snapped.

“No! You don’t get to cry right now! You don’t get to be heartbroken! You’re a _prince_ for god’s sake - you could have whoever you wanted! Anybody would want to love you and be loved by you! I don’t get that! I will _never_ get that! I’m nothing! _Nothing_, and I went and fell in love with someone unattainable to me! I don’t get a happily ever after!” Eddie’s chest heaved with anger. He felt a fist wrap its fingers around his heart and squeeze him for everything he was worth. Eddie was so angry he felt like he could burst. “And being with you feels so _right_, more right than anything I’ve ever felt before, but that doesn’t matter, does it? Because you’re a prince! And I can’t have you!”

The Prince just let him yell, watching him with eyes so sad Eddie couldn’t bare to meet them.

Eddie expected him to yell back at him, to argue, but all he said was, “You’re not nothing, Eddie,” in the most saddened voice Eddie had ever heard. And suddenly, he was no longer Prince Richard. He was just Chee.

It was like his voice knocked all the fight out of Eddie. Of course it did.

“Chee,” Eddie said, “You should go inside. People are probably wondering where you went.” His voice was hollow. “I’m going home.”

“_No_.” Chee grasped his hand. “God, you don’t _get_ it, do you?”____

_ _ _ _Eddie was drained enough not to try and pull his hand back. If this was the last time he would get to touch Chee, he would let it happen and he would commit it to memory. “What don’t I get?”_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _“That you’re not the only one who fell in love. That I want you more than I’ve wanted anything in my entire life. That I feel that rightness, too. That I don’t care what you think about happy endings, because you and I deserve one. _Together_.”___ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _Eddie shut his eyes and felt every defense he had hastily put up being blasted to smithereens by the tenderness in Chee’s voice._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“Eddie,” Chee whispered, close enough that Eddie could feel Chee’s breath against his cheek as he spoke._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“What?” he whispered back._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“Please come back inside with me. Please.”_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _Eddie opened his eyes just as Chee kissed him, deep and filled with so much emotion. Chee’s hands were squeezing his hips now and Eddie felt his arms snake around Chee’s neck._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“We can dance or talk or just… kiss in the corridor. Whatever you want,” Chee continued between kisses, and Eddie let himself be swayed in Chee’s hold and by his words._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“You know,” Eddie gasped as he pulled his face away from Chee’s touch, “I don’t know if my mom will disown me because you’re a man or be thrilled because you’re a royal.”_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“It doesn’t really matter though, does it?” Chee murmured, rubbing his thumbs up and down Eddie’s sides. It was more comforting than it should be, and Eddie relaxed despite not even realizing he was still tense. “I’m gonna marry you anyway.”_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _Eddie threw his head back and laughed. He felt Chee’s chuckle more than he heard it. “What would your parents say about marrying me? Don’t they want an heir to the throne?”_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“They’ve known about me for a while, Eds my love, and they’ve come to accept it. They’re more so trying to find a way to break it to the public without causing a major scandal. Though I guess there’s not much they can do to prevent that, huh?” He smiled down at Eddie. “But with you on my arm, I think I could handle it.”_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“Mm.” Eddie hummed. “When do I meet your parents?” And then, more anxious than he meant to sound, “Won’t they be alarmed that I’m suddenly in the picture? How do I reassure them that I’m just after you because of your status? I mean, who actually falls in love in one night?”_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _“I do.” Chee said it so simply that every anxiety Eddie harbored melted away._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _He gazed at Chee and felt adoration come off him in waves. “How did I get so lucky?” Eddie mused, and pulled Chee in for another kiss._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _Later, Eddie, wracked with nerves, would meet the king and queen. They would take to him instantly. Later, the royal family would announce Prince Richard’s courtship with Edward Kaspbrak of Derry, and all hell would break loose - but soon enough the public would fall in love with Eddie. Later, Eddie would move into the castle - into Chee’s chambers - and Chee would propose. Eddie would say yes. Later, they would get married and adopt an heir and raise her with an amount of instantaneous love neither had felt before meeting each other._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _But for now, Eddie was kissed under the moonlight, held by Prince Richard, his Chee._ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _Nothing else mattered._ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is @kimtaehyung-ish if anyone wants to drop by and say hi


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